Taking the top spot in our ranking of Italy’s most beautiful castles is the incomparable Castello di Miramare, which graces the northeastern shores of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. With its striking white façade, ornate castellations, elegant tower and perfectly manicured gardens, it seems like a fairytale mirage, rising from the blue-green waters of the Gulf of Trieste.

An ambitious and elaborate project, the castle took four years to build and was completed in 1860. It was commissioned by Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg, later Emperor of Mexico, and his wife, Princess Charlotte of Belgium, who used it as their private coastal residence.

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Italy’s most beautiful castles, ranked